After picking up the Democratic nomination, Christopher Taylor is on his way to becoming Ann Arbor's next mayor.

It's not official yet, though.

While favored to win in a city that leans so heavily Democratic, Taylor still must defeat independent Bryan Kelly on Nov. 4.

Kelly, a 2008 University of Michigan graduate, is a political newcomer with no experience in city government and is seen by many as a long shot.

Taylor, an attorney who has served on City Council since 2008, defeated three other council members by a landslide in Tuesday's primary.

Taylor sat down with The Ann Arbor News on Wednesday to discuss the possibility that he'll be the city's new mayor come November, as Mayor John Hieftje steps down after 14 years in office.

Ann Arbor News: What does it feel like to be in line to be mayor of a town you first came to as a college student in the '80s?

Taylor: It's very humbling. When people vote for someone to be their mayor, they're expressing confidence and trust and enthusiasm. And I feel that. It's important that I honor that. It's also obviously very exciting. You know, I love Ann Arbor, and pretty much loved Ann Arbor as soon as I came here in 1985, and have wanted to participate and do what I can to make it a better place.

Ann Arbor News: You won a four-way primary race against three of your City Council colleagues by a pretty sizable margin. What set your campaign apart?

Taylor: I think people love Ann Arbor and believe Ann Arbor is going in the right direction, and that was our message. I think people want city hall to do the everyday things to provide basic services, but also to take interesting, progressive action to make people's lives better. That was our message. And we also were dogged and professional and diligent and head down, day to day, for a long time. We had a great deal of grassroots support, a great deal of support from friends and families, whether through time or contributions. We had a professional staff working hard at it, had interns working hard. I did a lot of door knocking and a lot of lit writing. In the end, we had a message that was consistent with voters' aspirations for their city.

Ann Arbor News: And it was that English degree from U-M that helped you with all that lit writing?

Taylor: I think so. I won't promise that there are no split infinitives, but I did strive to avoid ending sentences with prepositions.

Ann Arbor News: You raised possibly more money than any individual has ever raised for a mayoral campaign in Ann Arbor. Did money matter in this election?

Taylor: Certainly I am delighted at the support I received from so many folks throughout the city. What money does is it enables you to get your message out to voters, so they can hear what you have to say. Money helps. It pays for mailers. It pays for staff. It pays for the yard signs. So, absolutely.

Ann Arbor News: Assuming you survive the general election and take office in November, what can residents expect from you in your first term as mayor? What do you hope to accomplish? What are your top priorities?

Taylor: On the basic services side, we have plain and present needs on roads. Our stormwater infrastructure requires work and diligent care. I'd like to see us make major steps in that direction. These are both large, long-term projects. There will not be sea changes, but there will be, I expect, real action in these areas.

We also can continue to take important action on improving our street trees, our urban forest. I think we can and need to take real continued action on improving our transportation infrastructure, making sure that non-motorized and bicycle and pedestrian safety continues to be front and center in our planning. I think we have an opportunity to work on high-capacity systems, particularly the north-central-south corridor, and moving forward with exploring a new train station.

We need to make sure that our parks are beautiful. We need to make sure that the environment continues to be protected. We need to take action on making sure that the state improves the 1,4-dioxane cleanup standard. Right now it's unacceptable.

Ann Arbor News: As mayor, what would you do differently from outgoing Mayor John Hieftje?

Taylor: I think that we owe Mayor Hieftje a debt of thanks. He has provided forward-thinking, progressive leadership, temperate leadership, for years, and I would expect to continue in that vein. It's been my practice on council to communicate proactively with residents, to reach out with explanations of what I'm thinking and why I'm thinking it, and queries as to what residents think about issues of particular interest that come before council. It is my expectation to continue to do that as mayor.

Ann Arbor News: What can you say to those still worried that you would be juggling the duties of mayor on top of a full-time job?

Taylor: The people of Ann Arbor deserve a mayor who will work every day to maintain and improve their quality of life. I will absolutely do that. I have a small practice on Main Street. I mostly represent small businesses in the community. My practice is a very flexible one. I set my own schedule. I will not have any trouble meeting people when they need to be met, providing deliverables when they need to be provided, and representing my clients in a way that is zealous and effective.

Ann Arbor News: How do the dynamics on council change after this election? Will the council be as divided and polarized as some are predicting?

Taylor: I don't think so. It was a very positive campaign. The tone of the campaign, I fully expect to bring forward to the next session of council. I think we can have different visions for the city, but at the same time get along.

I look forward very much to working all my colleagues on council to do what we can to make people's lives in Ann Arbor better.

Ann Arbor News: Some argue there's too much focus on the downtown at the expense of neighborhoods. What's your approach to this?

Taylor: That's a false dichotomy. I think a strong downtown improves neighborhoods, and strong neighborhoods improve the downtown. The downtown is shared by all of us and needs to meet all of our collective aspirations.

Each of our individual neighborhoods are so important to us. It's our home, and the city has a real role in making sure that home is better by improving street trees, improving stormwater infrastructure, working on streets, working on traffic mitigation, bicycle and pedestrian safety — we're going to focus on all of these things.

Ann Arbor News: What role does the mayor have in attracting new development and investment in the city?

Taylor: When a company is interested in choosing Ann Arbor as an important location for it, they want to get a sense of the city, of how it runs, of its personality. I think, in that sense, the mayor serves as a figurehead, serves to exemplify the city and the city's interest. I think the mayor has a role in communicating with businesses that are interested in investing in Ann Arbor. I think the mayor has a role in advocating for Ann Arbor, helping spread the word about why we're such a great community and why people ought to want to be here. The mayor doesn't need to attract development.

Ann Arbor News: Candidates have told us almost universally the No. 1 issue they hear from voters at the doors is roads. What's your plan of attack for fixing roads?

Taylor: I share that view and that concern. Fixing the roads is a long game and requires more money. We need to make sure our representatives in Lansing and others in Lansing know that more money is something that is required.

The county also has an opportunity to raise road monies. We need to make sure they know that we in Ann Arbor encourage and support their doing so. In the event that the county does not take action and Lansing doesn't do the right thing, I am willing to raise a conversation here in Ann Arbor about whether we need to take care of ourselves.

Taylor: Although the taxes Ann Arbor residents pay are high, only 28 percent of that goes to the city, so we have a limited ability to influence residents' overall tax rate. Understanding that, time and time again at the doors, I've heard people say that when they receive value in exchange for their taxes, the taxes aren't a worry to them.

If, for example, we do have an opportunity or a need to take care of ourselves on roads, then that would be up to voters.